Apparently, some Themes take over the screen and superimpose its own colors. I never knew that Aero themes did that in Win7. Apparently, Win7 Basic Theme hijacks some colors as well. I moved to Windows Classic Theme and now have full control over colors, etc which NB seems to like and follow. Seems Themes can really complicate a Developer's Life

and then you have to put up with a tenacious user like me
On another note, I really and truly miss XP!
Thanks for the feedback and patience
